As much a skillful work of investigative journalism as a work of scholarship

Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior

Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano

Description

Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior investigates one of the most under-examined aspects of the great migration crisis of our time. As millions seek passage to Europe, in order to escape violent conflicts, repressive governments, and crushing poverty, their movements are enabled and actively encouraged by criminal networks that amass billions of dollars by facilitating their transport.

Many of these smugglers carry out their activities with little regard for human rights, which has led to a manifold increase in human suffering, not only in the Mediterranean Sea, but also along the overland smuggling routes that cross the Sahara, penetrate deep into the Balkans, and through hidden corners of Europe's capitals. But some of these smugglers are revered as saviors by those they move, for it is they who deliver men, women, and children to a safer place and a better life. Disconcertingly, it is often criminals who help the most desperate among us when the international system fails to come to their aid.

This book is a measured attempt, born of years of research and reporting in the field, to better understand how human-smuggling networks function, the ways in which they have evolved, and what they mean for peace and security in the future.

9. Schengen and Beyond Cracks in the fortress Out of Greece The Balkan Odyssey Secondary moment

Part 3

10. The World We Live In Postcards from the front Wider and longer ramifications Recognising a new migration paradigm

Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior

Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano

Author Information

Peter Tinti is an independent journalist and Senior Research Fellow at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime. Formerly based in West Africa, his writing, reporting, and photography has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Vice, among other outlets.

Tuesday Reitano has been studying organized crime networks and their impact on governance, conflict and development for over twenty years, both in the UN System, and as the head of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, which she co-founded in 2013. She is based in Beirut, Lebanon.

Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior

Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano

Reviews and Awards

"The authors leap around, with vivid reporting from Niger, Libya, the Balkans, Turkey and Egypt, among other places The book's key contention-that tighter rules inspire entrepreneurs to create new, more dangerous and criminal smuggling routes-is persuasive." - The Economist

"Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour argues that the world needs to understand how networks of traffickers function if it is to get to grips with this migration crisis. Co-authors Tinti and ReitanoELuse a mixture of reportage, first-hand accounts from migrants and extensive research to uncover a series of complex transnational industries that exist to help migrants bypass barriers-whether geographic, man-made or political-for a profit." - Financial Times

"Wars in the Middle East and Africa have become a business opportunity for people smugglers, and Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano have penned an incredible investigation into that industry." - Christiane Amanpour, CNN

"Graphic and highly readable, this account of the global human smuggling industry dispels many of the myths surrounding this issue. Investigative journalism at its very best." - Jeff Crisp, Chatham House, former Head of Policy Development and Evaluation, UNHCR

"This is a fascinating, nuanced and highly necessary account of an underworld that is much discussed but little understood, written by two of the leading experts in the field. I highly recommend it."-Patrick Kingsley, Migration Correspondent, The Guardian

Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior

Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano

From Our Blog

Since its inception in 2000, International Migrants Day has served as a platform to discuss human rights issues affecting migrants. This year, the UN is focusing on safe migration in a world on the move'opening up an international dialogue about how to ensure safe and systematic migration during times of instability. The migration system today is largely dependent on smugglers: as millions seek to escape violence and economic inequality, many become dependent on criminal networks to facilitate their transport.

Media coverage of the European migrant crisis often focuses on the migrants themselves'capturing their stories as millions escape violent conflicts and crushing poverty. In Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Savior, Peter Tinti and Tuesday Reitano consider the smugglers involved in transporting migrants throughout Europe. Although many smugglers are viewed as saviors, others give little regard to the human rights issues.